Tell Her
by Jude81
Summary: Lexa hasn't told Clarke she loves, even though Clarke has. Sort of. This is complete. Minor angst. Lots of fluff. Some humor.
1. The Problem

Chapter 1: The Problem

She snuggled further into the furs, trying to ignore the sounds of morning washing through the camp. She buried her face in the halo of blonde hair scattered across the pillow. She breathed deeply, smiling at the delicate smell of the pine flowers that Clarke used in her soap. Her arms tightened around the warm body, and she pretended for a few moments that they could just stay there content and together without the rest of the camp intruding.

She felt the body turn in her arms, but she stubbornly kept her eyes shut, not wanting to open them and acknowledge that it was time to leave her warm haven. Her lips twitched, and she feigned sleep, as she felt the soft lips brush against her nose and then gently whisper across her eyelids. She felt the lips pull back, and she waited patiently for the kiss that was hers.

And then something wet and slimy slid across her cheek.

"Klark!" she yelped as she jerked back from the wet tongue lapping across her cheek. She felt the sticky spittle immediately start drying, and she tried not to grimace, knowing it would just encourage the blonde.

She quickly wiped at her cheek, as she rolled away from the laughing blonde.

"Serves you right, faker!" crowed the blonde as she disentangled herself from the furs.

"Come one, it's time to get up. Breakfast is almost ready!" And with that the blonde bounced across the room giving Lexa an eyeful of pale, naked flesh. She sat up and smiled, gently resigned to the fact that she could not keep Clarke from breakfast.

She chuckled to herself as she watched Clarke quickly wash and then pull on her jeans and top that had seen better days. She pulled her blue jacket on top, and quickly snapped her daggers in place. The blonde turned to Lexa, arching one eyebrow, leering slightly at the long limbs slipping out of the soft cotton shorts.

"Mmmmm," hummed the blonde. As distracting as the Commander was, her stomach was growling, and some beasts couldn't be denied.

"Come on, Lexa, hurry." She whined slightly as she shuffled from foot to foot. She knew the hunters had brought in fresh birds last night, and she didn't want to miss out.

Lexa grumped a little and quickly finished dressing, silently amused at how serious the blonde was about her breakfast, and how she always raced to be first at the community table. More often than not she was racing against Lincoln, who could pack it away. Between the two of them, it was any wonder there was ever any food left for anyone else.

Once finished dressing, they quickly departed making their way through the busy camp.

Lexa breathed deeply, humming quietly under her breath, but quickly catching herself. It wouldn't do for Heda to be caught humming. She flicked her eyes to her companion, but she was too focused on making her way to the long tables and benches that were in the center of the camp lined around giant cooking fires. She smiled slightly, amused at the determined Skai Prisa who made a beeline for the nearest table.

She took a deep breath again, allowing herself a small smile. There was a small nip in the air. The leaves were changing color fading into brown and bursting into golds and reds. The Skaikru had already survived their first winter on earth and were preparing with the Trikru for their second.

Her smile widened slightly, for it had been 18 months since the Mountain had fallen, ten months since Clarke had returned from her sojourn into the world, 8 months since the Skaikru had officially joined with the Trikru, four months since Clarke had made her way into Lexa's bed, and nine days since Clarke had first whispered "I love you."

Lexa and Clarke made their way to the table, nodding to friends and clansmen as they situated themselves at the table, pushing between warm bodies to reach the food. Most gave Clarke a wide berth, as they knew how unforgiving she could be at the table.

She sat at the long bench with her animated companion, absentmindedly picking at her food, only half listening to the words flowing around her as her people laughed and ate their fill. She couldn't help but think of what had happened nine days earlier.

Clarke had only whispered it once, and she wondered if it even counted. Did "I love you," really count when Clarke had been writhing and begging beneath her with Lexa's fingers buried deeply inside of her as she sucked and nipped at her neck? Did it count when her eyes had been closed and the sweat lightly pooled in the valley between her breasts? Did it count when Clarke's words had been followed by garbled mutterings and her pulling desperately at Lexa's head, arching her body into her? Did it count when she probably would have said anything to get Lexa to fuck her harder?

Lexa sighed quietly. Maybe it didn't count. But every once in a while, out of the corner of her eye, she would catch the Skai Prisa looking at her almost wistfully and unsure, her lips parted as if she were about to say something. And every time Lexa turned and gazed at those blue eyes, they quickly flickered away.

She didn't know if it counted, maybe it didn't matter; after all she hadn't said it to the blonde. And sometimes when she looked at her, she felt an ache deep in her bones slowly slide up into her flesh and take root in her rib cage. It hurt when she breathed, and it flickered and shook inside her. But whenever she heard that laugh float through the air and felt the warmth of her Skai Prisa's eyes embrace her; the ache slowly faded. But it never quite left.

She sighed again, and then looked up quickly when she felt the nudge at her side.

"Why so glum, Commander?"

"Glum?" Asked the commander as she looked at the young mechanic sitting on her right, who was busily stacking her pieces of fruit in to a pyramid.

"Yeah, you know…glum. Blue. Down in the dumps."

"Blue? I'm not blue. And uh…what are dumps?" She cocked her head at Raven. She liked the girl, she was strong and loyal, but she often said things she didn't understand. Sometimes she worried about her. Blue? Whoever heard of a blue person?

Raven chuckled as she let the berries fall from her fingers, "I mean you look kind of sad. Everything ok in paradise?"

"Paradise?" Now she was really confused. And worried. Perhaps the mechanic had eaten some of the bad berries.

Raven tried not to roll her eyes, as she turned to look fully at Lexa. She scootched back on the wooden bench and grabbed her left leg, slowly swinging it over the side of the bench so she could straddle it. She leaned her right arm on the table, propping her chin on her fist and gazed at the Commander.

"I mean, is everything ok between you and Clarke?"

Ah so that was what she meant. She shook her head slightly and turned to look at Raven. Blue must refer to a feeling, and not a color. These Skaikru were strange.

"Um." She hesitated, pursing her lips, her eyes flickering back and forth between Raven's dark ones and the plate in front of her. Perhaps…perhaps she could ask Raven? After all, Raven was one of Clarke's closest friends. She could be trusted. They had come a long way from Finn.

She glanced around quickly noting that some people had finally finished their breakfast and were wandering off to their duties. She glanced to her left at the blonde who was currently engaged in a whispered conversation with Octavia. Her lips twitched at their muffled whispers punctuated by small giggles. That probably wasn't good. She would have to keep an eye on them, especially Octavia. She had mischievous streak, and the two of them together could be as worrying as a wounded pauna. Lexa had been a hapless victim of theirs more than once.

She gestured at Raven to wait and leaned forward brushing a kiss across the golden crown. "Clarke, I need to speak to Raven about something uh…mechanical."

Clarke looked up and smiled into bright green eyes. "Ok. Octavia and I are going down to the runs to check out the new puppies."

Lexa tried to smother her smile. Clarke and Octavia had taken instantly to training the dogs they were trying to domesticate. This new litter was promising, not as wild, and more willing to interact with people.

She stood up and reached down and quickly helped Raven to her feet and then stepped back.

"Ok, I will meet you later for sword training." She grabbed Raven and pulled her along with her towards Raven's hut that held all the wires and metal things. She wasn't really sure what things they were, but Raven was always playing with them and telling her to just wait, that soon Raven would blow her mind. She worried about that too. She wasn't sure what Raven meant, and this mind blowing didn't sound very safe.

"Whoa, Commander. Slow down. Keep your pants on!" Muttered the mechanic as she tried not to stumble as she trailed after the woman who strode confidently and hurriedly towards the mechanic's domain.

Lexa came to an abrupt stop and turned, barely containing her wince as Raven stumbled and crashed into her, banging her forehead against her nose. She harrumphed quietly, and grasped Raven's arms to steady her.

"Keep my pants on? But my pants are on, Raven." She sighed exasperatedly. "Why would I take them off? And what does that have to do with slowing down?!" She asked heatedly as she reached up and rubbed her nose, trying to ignore the stinging in her eyes.

Raven rubbed her forehead, sure it would leave a red mark from the Commander's decidedly hard nose. Who knew a nose could poke so hard? She rolled her eyes.

"It's just a saying, Commander. I basically meant, slow down. Gimp here. Remember?"

Lexa didn't need Raven to translate what that meant. She narrowed her eyes at the mechanic taking in the small red mark on her forehead that almost matched the faded red of her jacket. She refused to look down at the pieces of metal that encircled the girl's left leg.

"Do not say such things. You are strong. And it bothers Clarke when you say such things." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared slightly at Raven, before quickly looking away.

Raven smirked, "Oh. Well, if it bothers Clarke, than I won't say it."

"Good," huffed Lexa, "now come on." And Lexa turned to continue on her way to the mechanic's hut, albeit at a slower pace.

Raven bumped her shoulder lightly against Lexa's arm. "Thank you," she murmured quietly.

Lexa pretended not to hear, but her lips twitched slightly, and for a brief moment she allowed the brunette's shoulder to linger against her arm, before moving ahead.


	2. The Question

Chapter 2: The Question

Lexa held the door open for the other brunette and then slipped into the hut after her. She glanced around noting the relative cleanliness of the hut, at least until her eyes lit on the heavy, wooden table that dominated the room. It was covered in jars with various colored liquids, wires, gears, and cogs. Lexa smiled slightly and shook her head in wonder. She didn't really know what any of it was for, other than used by Raven to work her special "magic."

"Sooooooo..." Raven hopped up on her stool in front of the table. Well not so much hopped, as awkwardly shimmied herself up on to the stool. She tried to hide her blush when she almost slipped off, and she was relieved when Lexa seemed not to notice. Not that she was convinced Lexa hadn't noticed. Nothing much slipped by the commander.

Raven watched quietly as Lexa slowly prowled the room and then returned to stand next to her. She fiddled with a jar of red liquid, and Raven quickly, but gently grasped it and pulled it from Lexa's hand. She smiled when Lexa quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Explosive." Lexa stilled and tried to remember to breathe. She recognized the liquid now. She opened her mouth to reprimand the mechanic and then thought better of it. Instead she grabbed a couple of wires and started fiddling with them, not sure how to ask the mechanic what was on her mind.

Raven sighed as she realized that this was probably not going to be overly simple. Lexa was not well suited to emotional discussions, and it was obvious something was preying upon her emotions. Raven eyed the wired in Lexa's hands, unsure of how long she should let her play with them. The wired were connected to a small battery, and if Lexa rubbed the two ends together…well….

Raven grabbed both of Lexa's hands, stilling all motion.

"Lexa," she pulled the wires gently from the brunette's grasp and set them aside and grabbed a couple of old bolts and handed them to Lexa.

"Play with these. You can't blow us both up with them."

Lexa fought the blush as she felt her cheeks start to heat. Heda didn't blush! She harrumphed a little and rolled the pieces of metal between her fingers, still not really looking at Raven. She concentrated instead on the feel of the cool metal against her fingertips. She liked how smooth they felt. They reminded her of the silky feel of Clarke's skin. She felt her cheeks heat up again.

Raven tried not to smirk too much when she saw the blush slide across the brunette's cheeks. How…interesting. She decided to have mercy on her, and turned to her table and started fiddling with a battery. She carefully unscrewed the top, patiently waiting for Lexa to finally find her voice.

Lexa opened her mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again. Ugh. Could she be any more of a child? She wanted to slap herself in the face. This was Raven! Raven could be trusted. She could just open her mouth and casually ask Raven what she thought. She could do it nonchalantly, as if the answer didn't matter. She gave herself a slight nod, pleased with her own plan. So she turned to Raven and opened her mouth…

"I'm in love with Clark, but IDon'tKnowIfSheIsReallyInLoveWithMe!" Well, ugh. Lexa couldn't hold back the groan when she realized just how frantic and silly she had sounded.

Raven froze. She was sure she had heard the Heda correctly, and she fought the smile that threatened to split her face. She knew smiling would probably send bolts flying at her face and a certain Heda flying out the door.

She casually continued screwing the cap back on the battery, careful not to look at Lexa.

"Good. You both deserve to be happy." She kept her eyes focused on the battery, not wanting to startle Lexa, but waiting almost anxiously for her reply. None was forthcoming.

Lexa wanted to vomit. Actually she did vomit a little in her own mouth, and it was sour going back down. Her stomach roiled and she dropped the bolts to put a hand on her stomach. She breathed harshly feeling slightly panicked. How had this happened? She was Heda Lexa of the 12 clans. She had fought and won numerous wars. She had faced her enemies and cut them down, and yet here she was in the mechanic's hut, short winded and wanting to do nothing more than run. After she vomited of course.

Raven heard the harsh breathing, and decided that she probably couldn't ignore it much longer. She dropped the screwdriver and slipped off the stool, shuffling over to a small stand. She grabbed a nearby canteen and filled a mug with water and turned back giving it to Lexa. She smiled when Lexa gulped it down.

"This is a good thing, Lexa. Clarke deserves to be loved and so do you." She smiled her most reassuring smile, at least she thought it was reassuring, but now she wasn't so sure since Lexa looked almost frightened as she looked at her. Riiiiight, so maybe she should tone down the smile. Raven carefully schooled her features.

"Why do you think she doesn't really love you?" She tried to keep her voice as soothing and gentle as possible.

Lexa stared at the mechanic. Somehow she had thought it would be smart to talk to Raven about this. Now she felt like an idiot, but at least Raven wasn't laughing at her. No, she seemed genuinely interested in Lexa's answer. She smiled as if she cared. She sighed and set the cup down. Oh what the hell. She had come this far.

"She's never said it." She fiddled with the handle of the mug, not meeting Raven's eyes.

Raven waited patiently, slightly unsure that she had heard Lexa correctly, because she was pretty damn sure that Clarke had said it. As a matter of fact Clarke had told her a few days ago that she had told Lexa she loved her, and Lexa hadn't replied at all. Clarke had been quite upset and panicked that she had pushed Lexa too far.

"So…Clarke has never told you that she loves you?" She tried to keep the incredulity out of her voice. She didn't want to tip her hand and have Lexa figure out that she knew. So she simply crossed her arms over her chest and decided to wait out the brunette.

Lexa cleared her throat nervously and glanced at Raven out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes narrowed slightly when she noticed the telling look on Raven's face. Did she? No! Did Clarke…? Ugh. Of course Clarke told her. She sighed.

"She told you."

"Yes."

"Of course she did."

"Would you expect any differently?"

"No, not really." Lexa sighed again and finally decided to face Raven. If she could face the Ice Queen, she could face one mechanic. Maybe.

Raven bit back the smile as Lexa huffed at her and then turned to face her completely. Finally! Now they were going to get to the bottom of this.

"So, why do you think she doesn't love you? She said it."

"Sha. She did, but…well…I don't know." Lexa bit out irritably. This was a bad idea. A really bad idea. She looked around, focusing on the door to the hut. She was only a few steps away. She could reach it before Raven could grab her. Yes, solid plan.

"That is a stupid idea." Raven smirked knowing what Lexa was thinking. Really, sometimes Lexa's face was simply an open book.

Ok, so maybe not such a good plan. She snarled and whirled back around to face the mechanic, ready to bite her head off for her disrespect.

"Don't you snarl at me, Lexa! In this hut you are Lexa, not Heda."

Lexa's mouth snapped shut. Well, then. Guess she had been told. She narrowed her eyes at the mechanic wondering if she should let her get away with her familiarity. The truth was, it was nice not to have to be Heda all the time. With Clarke, in her tent, she could just be Lexa. Maybe here she really could just be Lexa too.

Despite her bold words, the mechanic felt somewhat anxious. She knew how much Lexa didn't like to be teased, how important it was to maintain the face of the Heda. Frankly, Raven didn't know how the other girl did it. It must be so exhausting being her, always having to be something and someone to every single person. Everyone always wanting something from her, and very few ever giving anything in return to Lexa, only to Heda. Heda exacted her pound of flesh from Lexa.

"Clarke is my best friend, and you…well, you are Clarke's. You are just Clarke's. So that makes you my friend, Lexa." She hoped Lexa understood what she was trying to say.

"I am Clarke's?" Lexa whispered, feeling a strange warmth flood into her chest. Clarke's. She could be Clarke's. She wanted to be Clarke's. She liked the sound of that. She liked how if felt when she repeated it. She liked how her breath quickened, and the warmth filled her chest. Yes, Clarke was strong and brave, passionate and devoted. Being Clarke's would be a wonderful thing.

"Are you sure?" She whispered again, her voice trembling slightly. She gazed hopefully at Raven, waiting to be convinced. It occurred to her, that as Heda, the tremble in her voice was really quite unbecoming. But she squashed the thought, vehemently deciding that Heda could shof op. Lexa needed to hear Raven's reply.

Raven smiled gently, melting a little at the blatant hope painted across Lexa's face.

"Sha, Lexa. You are Clarke's, and she is your's. Clarke knows this. She knows that you are her's, and if you would talk to her, I know she would tell you that she is your's."

She suddenly realized she had been holding her breath, and it burst from her lungs in a racking cough, and she bent over trying not vomit again. She really had a pitiful gag reflex. She felt a firm hand thwack her on the back, and she pretended that it didn't sting just a little. She glared at the mechanic, who looked like she had taken a little too much pleasure in whacking Lexa on the back.

Raven just chuckled at Lexa's glare. She really was unperturbed by it and gleefully smiled at Lexa when she saw the exact moment Lexa realized that her glare had failed to quell the mechanic.

Lexa grumped under her breath and straightened. Just perfect! Her glare had somehow lost its potency on the mechanic. This did not bode well for the future. She narrowed her eyes at the brunette, but felt the smile twitch at her lips. Oh what the hell. She smiled at Raven and muttered, "Don't get used to this."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Shot back the mechanic, offering a limp salute.

"Captain?"

"Never mind. It's above your pay grade."

"Wait. My what? What is a pay grade?" Lexa looked at the brunette, stumped again by Raven's words. She really needed to start writing them down so she could ask Clarke.

Raven laughed lightly, "Never mind, Lexa, it isn't important," she sobered and reached out and lightly put her hand on the brunette's arm giving it a small squeeze, "but seriously, Lexa. Just talk to her. Tell her how you feel. I know it can be hard and even scary, but I think you will find the answer you want. And it will be well worth it."

Lexa gave a half-hearted snort, not liking the insinuation that she was afraid. "Heda isn't afraid of anything." She crossed her arms over her chest and did her best to level the mechanic with her glare. She was more than a little perturbed that it seemed to have no effect whatsoever.

"Well, Heda may not be afraid of anything. But it's ok if Lexa is," Raven patted her arm again and then clambered back onto the stool, "not that I'm not enjoying your company, Lexa, but don't you have somewhere to be?" She casually picked her screwdriver back up and started opening up another rusted battery.

She was shocked when she felt the warm brush of soft lips across her cheek and the whispered, "Thank you, Raven," that hung in the air even after Lexa had slipped out the door. She chuckled and hummed to herself as she tinkered with her toys.


	3. The Answer

Chapter 3: The Answer

Lexa found Clarke sitting cross-legged outside the run holding a small bundle. She smiled at the bent crown of gold and tried not to hurry too much to her side. She was relieved to see that no one was about. Octavia must have made her way to the training ground already.

She smiled as she stepped to Clarke's side. The smile slowly faded when she noticed that the blonde head didn't raise to greet her, although she was sure Clarke knew it was her.

"Klark?" She could hear the uncertainty laced in her words, and she felt a small niggle of fear worm its way into her gut. She took a deep breath and reached out and rested her hand on the golden head.

"Klark," she whispered and that was when she noticed the shoulders shake and heard the rough sob burst from the blonde's lips.

"Klark!" She fell to her knees and grabbed the blonde's right shoulder and cupped her chin in her left hand. She could feel wetness coat her palm from the blonde's chin, and she tried to push down her panic.

"Klark! What is wrong?!" She tried to stifle the panic growing in her chest, and she coaxed the blonde's chin up only to be met with mournful, wet blue eyes. Her eyes flickered over the pale cheeks noting the tears dripping down steadily.

"Oh, Klark. What is wrong?" She whispered as she inched closer, her left arm sliding around the girl's shoulders and pulling her into her body. She slipped her right hand from her chin, up her cheek, to the back of her head. She cradled the back of her head, pulling the wet face into her neck. She held her close, angry that someone or something had caused Clarke pain, and terrified that she wouldn't be able to fix it.

Clarke felt the hot tears scorch down her face. She was so embarrassed that Lexa had found her like this, sobbing like a baby. And she was afraid. Afraid of why she was actually crying, and what it might mean. She felt the snot form and drip down her nose, and she tried not to wipe it on Lexa's shirt, but she was unsuccessful. It was instinct. When there is snot, you wipe it on the first available piece of cloth or clothing, and in this case, said cloth was Lexa's shirt.

Lexa rocked the crying blonde slightly in her arms and placed tender kisses on her forehead, valiantly trying to ignore the copious amounts of snot stuck to her shirt. The things we accept for love.

"It's ok, Klark. Shhhhhhh. I promise. It's ok. I will fix it. Whatever is wrong, I will fix it." She pleaded and soothed the blonde. She dropped her left arm lower to the girl's back and pulled her in tight. She stiffened when she heard the yelp. A very un-Clarke type of yelp.

She jerked back slightly when she felt the small body struggle in her arms, and she pulled back further from Lexa. Ooops.

Lexa glanced down and was met with soft brown eyes. Brown eyes. Clarke didn't have brown eyes. She glanced up at Clarke and then back down again.

Clarke sniffled and laughed a bit. "Leska, meet Bubby."

Bubby? What the hell was a bubby? She eyed the tiny, wiggling body in Clarke's arms. THIS was what had caused Clarke to cry? She narrowed her eyes at the furry…thing. She would annihilate it on the spot. No one made her Klark cry! No one and nothing! Certainly, not some tiny little…rodent?

Clarke laughed at the glare Lexa was directing towards the puppy. Bubby didn't seem to care and squirmed out of Clarke's arms to tumble to the ground. He managed to roll over and plopped his little but in the dirt. His tongue lolled out of his mouth, and he smiled. Smiled up at the fearsome brunette.

He had a new playmate! He yipped at her, and heaved his tiny body up and placed both paws on her knee. She was big. Sooooooo big! He glanced up and smiled at her again. He saw her fingers twitch. Ooooh! Fingers! He loved fingers! He immediately threw himself at the finger, managing to get his mouth around them before he was suddenly flying upwards! He was up so high! He yelped and looked at the brunette in the eye. She didn't seem happy to see him. Oh well. He would make her smile. He yipped at her again and started licking the air between them, squirming his little body.

"Leska! Put him down!" The blonde scolded as Lexa held the tiny puppy by the scruff of his neck high up in the air.

"This!? This is what made you cry?!" She glared again at the puppy, noting that he too seemed unperturbed by her glare, much like the mechanic. This was worrisome. Maybe something was wrong with her if she couldn't even scare a puppy. Perhaps she should talk to Indra or Nyko. Yes, Nyko. There was obviously something wrong with her, and she was sure Nyko could give her something to make her glare ferocious again.

Clarke laughed and patted Lexa's knee and then reached up and pulled the puppy gently from her grasp. She set him in Lexa's lap and tried not to smirk too much when the brunette immediately leaned back, trying to keep her upper body away from the puppy as much as she could. She had no intention of interacting with him or even…ugh…petting him.

He yipped again, excited at finally being back down. He shoved his head into the girl's stomach, rumbling as he smelled her. She smelled warm just like the other one. He squirmed around until he was comfortable, nestling into Lexa's lap. He yawned. It had been a big day. It had been a hard day, but the blonde had saved him. She smelled so good. They both did. He rumbled contentedly and drifted off to sleep.

Lexa groaned. How had this rodent like dog thing managed to find a nest in her lap. She waved her hand at him, "Klark, please."

"Why? He looks comfortable. He's happy." Clarke fidgeted and reached out and gently stroked his fur.

Lexa narrowed her eyes at Clarke's refusal to remove the warm puppy from her lap. The thing from her lap! And he certainly wasn't warm! And she certainly wasn't enjoying the warm body nestled into her own. Ugh. She really didn't have time for this….this….well, he was sort of cute. She absentmindedly stroked one little, velvet ear smiling when it twitched underneath her fingertip. Well, maybe this wasn't so bad. But why had she been crying?

"Why were you crying?" She felt the apprehension build in her chest again when Clarke refused to look at her.

Her gaze flew down to the puppy in her lap when her fingers brushed across something wet, and she heard him whimper. She sifted through the fur and then her fingers stilled when she saw the blood. Her gaze narrowed when she realized that the flesh on his legs was torn slightly and was sluggishly bleeding. Her gaze flew up to the blonde's.

"What happened?" She felt her stomach tighten. She was the Heda. She didn't have time to care that a puppy had been hurt. But she felt a small frisson of pain in her chest at the thought.

"They were hurting him," whispered the blonde as she felt the tears fill her eyes again as she gazed into worried green.

"Who were?"

"The others. The other puppies. He is the smallest, and they kept chasing him away from the food. An-a-and they started hurting him," she choked out feeling another tear wind its way down her cheek.

"I see," murmured Lexa. And she did see. It was survival of the fittest, and he was the least fit. She sighed. It was nature's way to weed out the weak and sickly, so that the species had a better chance of surviving on an unforgiving earth.

She opened her mouth to tell Clarke this, to explain to her that it was simply the way it was, but the words died in her throat, when she saw the pain glimmering in wet blue. She remembered all those months ago when the Skai Prisa had whispered to her that they deserved more than just surviving. They did. They all did. Including Bubby. She was really going to have to talk to Clarke about that name though.

"No one loves him," whispered the blonde and looked away. Lexa gazed at her profile thoughtfully. This was about more than a puppy whose litter mates had turned against him.

"You do."

"It's not the same," huffed the blonde.

"No, it's better. Being loved by you, Klark? Well there is nothing better," whispered Lexa as she stared at the blonde, "he couldn't be luckier. He has you."

Clarke lifted her gaze and stared at Lexa, searching the beautiful green eyes that she knew so well. She felt the hope bloom in her chest, and she licked her lips nervously. She smiled when she felt the warm palm slip up to cradle her cheek and her eyes fluttered closed. She felt more than heard the brunette shift closer. She sighed when she felt soft lips kiss the corner of her mouth, and she felt the tears slide like rain down her cheek and joy smash through her chest when she heard, "I love you."

"Oh. Oh!" And her eyes flew open and she gazed into sparkling green, and she threw herself at the strong body, her lips blindly searching for the brunette's. She ignored the muffled oomph and the small squirming body caught between them as Lexa wrapped both arms around her and pressed her lips to hers.

Clarke jerked back suddenly, just enough to look Lexa in the eye and blurt out, "I love you too!" before she crashed their bodies back together. Perhaps her reply hadn't been overly eloquent, but she knew her actions would more than make up for it.

Lexa almost choked when she felt the body slap into hers, and her oomph was cut short by warm lips that eagerly slid against her own. She slipped both hands into the golden hair and flicked her tongue against her lips, insisting on being admitted. She groaned when she felt the blonde's mouth open beneath hers, and she eagerly slipped her tongue inside to playfully duel with the blonde's. She slid her tongue against hers, and then sucked gently on it, causing the blonde to squeak and push harder into her, her hands scrabbling at her pants.

He woke with a start as he was rudely jostled and he let out a loud squeak when he felt himself being smushed. He pushed at the warm flesh with his little paws, slightly anxious that they seemed to be ignoring him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt them part and he felt hands warmly stroke his ears and his back. He smiled when he felt their soft voices wash over him, soothing him and whispering sweet things. He didn't really understand, but he recognized the tone of their voices. He yipped and licked their fingers, happy when he heard them laugh. He smiled again when he felt her shift and stand cradling him gently in her arms.

He peered over her arm and noticed his litter mates disappearing in the distance. He tucked his head in the crook of her arm. He was safe. He was happy.


End file.
